By The Numbers

With 50 percent of the national population experiencing or knowing someone who has been diagnosed with cancer, it may not be surprising that cancer is surpassing heart disease as the leading cause of death in the United States. In South Florida alone, cancer diagnoses are rising and expected to increase by a jarring 12 percent by 2030.

At the same time, we’re looking at a critical shortage of clinical care. The American Medical Association reports “The U.S. faces a projected shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians within 12 years.” This estimate, which includes between 21,000 and 77,100 nonprimary care physicians such as oncologists, surgeons, and others who treat cancer, is the result of a comprehensive study released by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

In fact, there’s already a physician shortage. While the number of licensed physicians has increased 19.8% from 850,085 in 2010 to more than 1 million in 2020, according to the Federation of State Medical Boards physician census, the U.S. Census Bureau says that the population grew 7.4% during the same period, from 331.5 million to 308.7 million. By 2034, it’s expected to reach 363 million.

A second looming problem: 22.9 million—or two-thirds of that growth—will be people 65 or older. Age is the number one risk factor for cancer, says the National Cancer Institute (NCI), both for cancer overall and for individual cancer types. “The incidence rates for cancer overall climb steadily as age increases, from fewer than 25 cases per 100,000 people in age groups under age 20, to about 350 per 100,000 people among those aged 45–49, to more than 1,000 per

100,000 people in age groups 60 years and older,” the NCI notes.

In fact, according to its most recent data, the average age for a cancer diagnosis is 66 years. The age is similar for several types of individual cancers: 62 years for breast cancer, 67 years for colorectal cancer, 71 years for lung cancer, and 66 years for prostate cancer.

With a critical physician shortage in both primary and specialty already here, access to preventative health care and screenings have steadily declined. Wait times for appointments and tests have increased. These factors alone prevent early detection, which is when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the treatment for many cancers, such as cervical, colorectal, breast, and lung, work best. Indeed, screenings for cervical and colorectal cancers can even prevent cancer via the detection and removal of lesions before they become cancerous. The same is true for skin cancer.

However, when cancer care is delayed or inaccessible there is a lower chance of survival, greater problems associated with treatment and higher costs of care. Early diagnosis improves cancer outcomes by providing care at the earliest possible stage and is therefore an important public health strategy in all settings. The need for more cancer treatment resources in our community is mounting.

Understanding the importance of timely access to quality preventative care, diagnosis and treatment options, the Irma and Norman Braman Comprehensive Cancer Center was developed with these ideals in mind.

Access to high-quality physician care is paramount, which is enhanced through Mount Sinai’s partnership with Columbia University. Same- or next-day appointments with radiologists will be available for a range of cancers and oncology appointments will be available within 72 hours. The goal for all patients is prevention, early diagnosis, therapies and cuttingedge treatments enhanced through clinical trials and research, and most important of all, quality of life survivorship.